We recently published a technical paper in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics about the composition of long-range transported aerosol observed at the Pico Mountain Observatory. This work represents a novel perspective on the composition of free tropospheric aerosol. We believe this work is significant because it challenges the current understanding of aerosol aging. Although aerosol are oxidized with respect to time in the atmosphere, the long-lived aerosol observed here appear to represent the fraction of aerosol which is not easily removed.

Sometimes our work at the Pico Mountain Observatory is both mentally and physically challenging, but it is always rewarding. Since we arrived almost two weeks ago, the weather has been fairly uncooperative. We had a few days of warm sunshine, kindly reminding us of why we are here, “to sample the air of the marine free troposphere far away from direct emission sources”. From our previous work at this remote location, we recently published two technical papers about our observations of soot morphology and aerosol chemistry. These technical observations inform the scientific community about the effects of long-range transport on the aerosol mainly from North America.

This year’s fieldwork is now underway and just as we picked up some momentum, the weather became difficult to predict. This means, that sometimes we will not be able to do our work upon reaching the Observatory and sometimes traversing up and down the mountain is dangerous and especially so with high winds and rain. This year is particularly special, because we are hosting a guest scientist from Trento Italy, who’s planning to collect some very special mountain profile measurements by carrying several small instruments on his back. Thus, sitting in the apartment and waiting for ideal conditions is absolutely out of the question.

Kendra Wright, Lorentyna Harkness, Claudio Mazzoleni and Lynn Mazzoleni were interviewed by David Borges, a local newspaper reporter in Madalena, in July 2013. Here’s the newspaperstory that resulted from our talk.

Mountain Station Assesses Climate Change

Written by David Borges

The Michigan Technological University, with support from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy of the United States and NASA, is developing two new projects in the Pico Nare station installed at the top of Pico Mountain to study the climatic effect of aerosols. The projects, with two and three years in duration, based on the study of chemical properties and also the optical characteristics of the particles as color and shape that determine their interaction with sunlight.

Placed at the station since 2001 in the crater of the mountain experts expect to observe aerosols from the Americas, resulting eg smoke from large fires mainly located in the northern part of the continent, from Canada and/or the United States of America.

Lynn and Claudio Mazzoleni were interviewed by Kevin Hodur for the 2015 Michigan Tech Research Magazine article.

Here’s an excerpt of the story.

Written by Kevin Hodur

Deep in the eastern Atlantic, roughly 900 miles west of Portugal, lies the tiny island of Pico. On maps, it looks like nothing— hardly more than a pinpoint in a sea of blue. But to atmospheric researchers, the remote island’s towering Pico Mountain holds the key to understanding how aerosols may impact climate change.

Pico Mountain is one of nine volcanic islands that make up the Azores archipelago. Its size, however, sets it apart: at nearly 8,000 feet, it’s one of the highest mountains in the Atlantic and more than twice the elevation of neighboring peaks. To hike to the top is to enter an entirely new world, up in the clouds.

It is the high altitude—along with Pico Mountain’s isolated Atlantic location—that make it the ideal place to study aerosols. These high-in-the-sky aerosol particles are what interest Michigan Tech researchers. For years, they have worked with collaborators to sample particles atop the peak at the Pico Mountain Observatory, learning more about the sources and characteristics of aerosols. These aerosols have a large but not completely understood influence on our atmosphere.